Media Preview
A slow fashion house creating timeless quality pieces. Inspired by a love of Indian textiles, vintage silhouettes and old school craftsmanship. Each one of a kind piece is hand stitched in London from beautiful quality vintage silk, sourced in India.
In India, the cry of the kabadiwala calling out ‘scrap for cash’ is omnipresent. The kabadiwala ethos is based on the concept that rubbish is merely a resource in the wrong place, and we agree. Our vision is to honour Indian craftsmanship, to showcase Indian textile design and celebrate the age old Indian tradition of repurposing.
Bougainvillea dresses are handcrafted from pre-existing silk with early 20th century, hand cut, mother of pearl buttons. Therefore all idiosyncrasies, including wear, mending, marks, pattern anomalies are part of the story of the fabric and overall garment. The imperfect artisan aesthetic coupled with the raw natural fibers and the handmade approach creates a unique feel to each truly limited edition piece. The early twentieth century mother of pearl buttons have been hand cut by Indian artisans in the Bengal. Everyone is unique, a testament to the beauty of imperfection.
STORY
Bougainvillea, a slow fashion house, started with a dress Ava designed from a vintage silk sari, tailor made while in India visiting her partner's relatives. From there, a family business blossomed.
The ‘Amande Atelier’ as it is affectionately known, near Battersea Park, includes Ava, her mother, a local seamstress and the hardest working member, a 50yr old Singer sewing machine.
STYLE
LOOKBOOK
Our bestselling styles are our Irene prairie, housecoat Anise and kaftan Paprika. We will shortly be launching a blouse collection made from vintage Indian silk featuring voluminous sleeves, square yokes and high necks. We offer a bespoke service where clients choose one of our dresses to have made to their measurements and colour choice.
Irene in paisley.
Anise in hot pink.
Paprika in Kashmiri red floral.
Our mission is to make dresses with integrity, beautifully handcrafted to be worn time and time again. Dresses that spark joy...!